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We hope the tragedy of discrimination which involves “No Chinese”, “No Dogs” will not happen again.
There was a racial discrimination incident through road blockages and erecting signs to forbid Chinese people and dogs from accessing, provoked by Father George Belgarde, S.J., the director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, New York. |
This incident has hindered the progress of world peace, human health and religious harmony, and hurt the development of local tourism and discouraged the investors and entrepreneurs who planned to invest in this region and thus incurred huge losses. It also resulted in the negative impact on the image of the United States and Catholicism. The political influence of this incident is worsening.
Through on-site investigation, the truth behind the outrageous 6/30 and 8/26 Incidents by the Father are disclosed:
On June 30, 2014, Fr. George Belgarde S.J. of the Catholic group blocked the access road with five huge concrete bricks, towards a building where a group of Chinese people are staying. Later he ordered to destroy the Shrine Road, which has a history of almost a century, by a tractor backhoe. It created an outrageous scene. Followed by the barricades incident in April 2013, the Priest deliberately create racial conflict by putting up seven "No dogs" signs, and intent to trap over 100 Chinese people at the Holy Mountain in upstate New York.
Forbidding Chinese people and dogs from accessing is a serious insult from the Jesuit Father towards Chinese people. The racial discrimination is strongly accused by some local Chinese groups and Buddhist organizations. In order to avoid the incident from worsening, we have made several requests to the US President, NY state government and the Jesuit Provincial in NYC and the Pope to handle this issue promptly. However, after over two months, the barricades were not removed.
On August 26, 2014, 9:00 a.m., the Jesuit Father again ordered his worker to make further damage to the road for pilgrims. In order to protect the road with decades’ of history, the Chinese people held signs, protesting against damaging the road, to stand for the visitors and pilgrims’ right of accessing the road and petition the damage to the road to be stopped immediately. The sheriff department and state police came and helped the Father to hammer stakes and put up yellow tape, and allowed them to continue to damage the road. The police warned the Chinese that they would be arrested if they walk across his yellow line.
A lieutenant dragged one of the people, who were protesting in peace, crossed the line and tried to arrest her for trespassing. That is a citizen from Hong Kong; she was pulled back by the other protestors. She was badly hurt and suffered from emotional trauma with the assault. Over ten people felt unwell afterwards.
Police officers are supposed to be a peace keeper and justice defender. Why did they help the Father to damage the road, and use violence on the unarmed people who were protesting peacefully? Now over 100 people, including those who are working for several Chinese organizations and some Buddhist monks, have been trapped in this building for over two months. Without a sense of security, some people have suffered from certain physical and psychological health problems and the situation is getting worse.
Once more, we have to petition US government, state government and the New York Province of the Society of Jesus to investigate the incident and remove the barricades, so that peace can be restored.
We petition Mr. President Obama to protect the Chinese people in this region and provide humanitarian aid.
We petition Pope Francis to handle the issue promptly and ask Father Belgarde to apologize publicly.
We petition the United Nation to investigate this outrageous discrimination 6/30 incident and provide humanitarian aid.
We petition Chinese President Jinping Xi 's administration to provide humanitarian aid to the trapped Chinese people in the Holy Mountain.
We petition Hong Kong government to help and provide humanitarian aid the wounded citizen.
We call on all Chinese in the world to be united so that the tragedy of forbidding Chinese people and dogs to access will not happen again and the discrimination can be stopped and restore peace. |
